Muswell Hill

I recently moved here and am having real trouble getting my family to come here to visit. My retired parents refuse to as they (incorrectly) assume they need a visa and refuse to shell out for one, even though they have been told otherwise by me. My brother, aunts and uncles refuse to come, so I have to go to the UK (which of course i love doing!), but find it expensive.

Does anyone else sense hostility in travelling here by family in general?

Just curious????

excpomea

Can't get them to visit !!!
I wish that I had that problem, it seems like I am forever entertaining guests from the UK.
I am not sure that I even know some of them

Have you not thoght that it might be you Or where you live.....

Your not out in Utah are you?

Ray

Oh yes! Amen to that!! I try to get at least one disease a year to cut the numbers down..In April I am due to get Leprosy.. that should be good for a quiet summer..

NC Penguin

Whereabouts in the US do you live? Perhaps your family is not keen to visit a part of the US that doesn't appeal to them. Maybe you can compromise and meet them in some part of the US where they'd feel more comfortable. Maybe a city, or a region with outstanding scenery, or a location with beaches...

Muswell Hill

I live in South Carolina. I know my family aren't keen because of the 'redneck attitudes' and epidemic like religion. We are all non-religious and stick out like sore thumbs, plus there is bugger all to do here.
I don't think meeting somewhere else is practical as hotels and food cost a lot for a few weeks stay.

We are moving to Florida soon, so i am sure they will visit then.
Cheers!

NC Penguin

The Pound is very strong against the Dollar at the moment so it'd be a good time for family to visit you elsewhere in the US if they don't like the sound of SC (I live in N. Carolina and I can wholly relate to the prevalence of religion in everyday life).

Muswell Hill

I was driving past a baptist church the other day and saw a sign that said "no snakes". I asked a friend who told me these baptist nutcases take rattlesnakes and othr venomous snakes to church and then talk 'in tongues', some kind of babble and if they get bitten will go to hell as they couldn't convert the snake to baptist thinking.

I almost phoned BA for a 1 way ticket when i heard that.....

But, i do carry a disposable camera in the car and when ever i see a freeky church message sign i photograph it. I want to make a book and publish the weird, and scary signs i have read.

JeanDupont

I used to live in Texas and passed a church which had a sign up which said "No Automatic Weapons".
None of the other churches did so I guess it was Ok to go in with them .
Had the church with a sign had an ugly incident with an accidental or other discharge during a service?
I never did find out.

whatever

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH my LORD!!!!!!!!!!!! Please don't tell anymore stories like that! At the moment it looks like we may well be heading toward Texas to live and that kind of tale is not going to help me pack any faster! :scared:

Suki Sue

Texas is great, people are friendly and you're out of the tourism area like Florida. I've been here since last summer and can highly recommend it. Not a church goer myself but I think it was a one-off with that sign. Everyone has guns here because a) they can, b) you never know when a nasty critters going to come near your house if you're in the country and c) you have a right to protect your property (no Tony Martin instances here).

whatever

Hmmmmmm.... and what's a Critter exactly???

We will be living near Dallas (metro)... where about's are you?

Taffyles

You'll be hearing from relatives you never knew existed when you move to Florida We get a stack of visitors every year- which is great - because on visits home there isn't enough time to get round everyone, so they all come out here The only time is gets hairy is when you get two families visiting at the same time- sleeping bodies everywhere LOL But great fun.

Englishmum

Muswell Hill:

If you go to http://www.ba.com

(put in that you are a UK resident) then it has all the latest info on visitors to the US. I'm sure your parents have heard the news reports about needing the new types of machine readable passports for travel from late October onwards for non-visa holders visiting the US.

Some airlines definitely offer "Senior" fares; the couple who live next door to me have their daughter on an expat posting in London so they're often flying across to visit her. They usually fly with Continental Airlines (which is a crappy airline but our local main airline at Newark) and they get 'Senior' fares. I have no idea if Virgin or BA offer them too, but it might be worthwhile phoning their customer service numbers to ask - they never seem to post these 'special' fares on their websites.

I'll probably be buying a ticket for my mum to come over for a visit soon - but she's a widow. I do think it would be rather expensive to pay for two fares....I wonder if this could be another reason why your parents are reluctant to come over? Could you possibly help towards at least one fare, then they might decide to visit you after all?

Englishmum

MH

Actually here is the latest info for British passport holders who want to visit the US, especially from 26 October:

http://www.britishairways.com/travel...G_usawaiver_en


I also noticed on the website that they also sell BA gift vouchers in 50 pound denominations and send them in a gift-wrapped envelope by FedEx. Maybe if you buy one or two of them and send to your parents it might entice them over!

(When my daughter was small I often used to take her to the One O'Clock Clubs at the park in Alexandra Palace, just near Muswell Hill. We lived in Upper Clapton, near Stamford Hill. I loved the large family houses in Muswell Hill but could never have afforded to buy one! Happy Days.....)

Suki Sue

Critters - vermin etc, racoons, skunks, coyotes, snakes even.

We live in Comanche, about 120 miles sw of Fort Worth. We have relatives in Fort Worth who have been warned on their utility bills to keep their fences over 6ft 'cos of coyotes. Haven't seen any out here in the country though we hear them in the distance at night.